Tonight at midnight, it all comes to an end. The Harry Potter saga, which has lasted for fourteen years, seven books and eight movies, draws to a close with the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2.
For true Potter fans, it’s all very exciting to finally see the epic finale come to life on the big screen, but then what? With no more books or movies to look forward to, what’s a diehard Potter nerd to do? We at the Magazine have some suggestions for combating Rowling-withdrawal:
10. Re-read the books, re-watch the movies (and all the special features)—we won’t tell if you’re a bit, well, obsessed for the next couple of weeks.
9. Join Pottermore. The interactive website, featuring new material about Harry’s world written by JK Rowling, launches to everyone in October, but on July 31st the lucky first million users who register will get a sneak peak.
8. Get creative—draw pictures of your favourite characters, or try baking some of the edible delights featured in Harry’s world.
7. Bring out all your Harry Potter Lego and re-enact the series’ greatest scenes.
6. Ever read the books and think, “What if this happened?” or “I wonder what that character’s story is?” Why not try writing Harry Potter fanfiction: stories written by fans of a series set in that series’ world or featuring its characters?
5. Or if you’re more of a musician than a writer, why not start a wizard rock band? Believe it or not, there really are bands whose songs are all about the Harry Potter universe.
4. Always wanted to play Quidditch, the most popular sport of the wizarding world, but couldn’t because of a lack of flying broomsticks and magic Golden Snitches? Don’t worry—even non-magical people can play Muggle Quidditch, where the action takes place on the ground and the snitch is a neutral player running around the field.
3. Dress up as your favourite character for Halloween.
2. If you feel it’s time to move on, dig your teeth into a new series, like The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins or A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket.
1. And finally: got a younger brother or sister? Why not read the books to them? Got a friend who hasn’t read Harry yet? Why not introduce them to the magic?